Prescription Drug Abuse Hospitalizations Up

Prescription drug abuse is typically associated with celebrity overdoses, but the epidemic goes beyond Hollywood. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drugs are the second most abused category of drugs, behind marijuana. A new study found that hospitalizations for...

EHRs Still Face Cost and Security Concerns

Not all Americans are convinced when it comes to the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that there are lingering concerns about the security of EHRs. According to a 2009 study mentioned in the article, although the majority of respondents thought it was...

Drug Compliance a Major Issue for Psych Patients

Antidepressants and antipsychotics can help mental health patients return their lives to some semblance of normalcy. However, the positive effects of these drugs can be negated if patients decide to stop taking their meds. Patients may feel so much better on medication that they eventually decide they no...

Providers May Be Overconfident in Data Security, Report Finds

Healthcare organizations may be overconfident regarding the security of electronic health information, according to a new report from HIMSS Analytics. Respondents ranked themselves high for compliance with state and federal regulations and guidelines. However, 19 percent of organizations reported having a...

The High Costs of Medication Noncompliance

There are many reasons why patients don’t take their medication as prescribed. Maybe they hate the side effects. Maybe they can’t afford their medication, so they ration it until they can scrape together the cash for another refill. Perhaps their condition is asymptomatic, such as hypertension, so they...

With Predictive Medicine, the Future Is Now

What if you knew that you were at high risk of developing heart disease? Chances are you would start making some changes in your life. You might eat better, start exercising, maybe see your cardiologist more often. You would work to spare yourself the high physical and financial costs of heart disease. Now...

Real-Time Monitoring Devices Let Physicians Watch and Learn

Last week, we reported on the growing market for remote monitoring devices. The digital revolution has made it possible for physicians to track patient health data from miles away. With the excitement surrounding mobile and long-distance healthcare, it’s easy to forget that patients in a clinical setting...

The Interoperability Issue: Making EMRs Play Well With Others

In an ideal world, a doctor could pull up a new patient’s entire health history within seconds. Everything would be available in the patient’s electronic record: allergies, prescriptions, prior conditions, notes from previous doctors, and more. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality. Take a random...